Manny Machado keeps wowing the rest of baseball

CaptionManny Machado

Elsa / Getty Images

American League All-Star Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders at the Great American Ball Park on July 13, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

American League All-Star Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders at the Great American Ball Park on July 13, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

American League All-Star Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders at the Great American Ball Park on July 13, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

American League All-Star Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders at the Great American Ball Park on July 13, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sure, he got lots of attention last season when the Orioles brought him up from the minors to play third base and the kid immediately solidified a shaky infield defense as the O's surged to 93 wins and their first playoff appearance since the Clinton administration.

But this season, not only is he playing great defense -- who comes in better on slow rollers down the line and makes a stronger snap throw than this guy? -- he's also hitting second in the batting order and delivering some big-time offense.

After hitting his fifth homer of the season in the Orioles' 8-4 win over the Angels on Sunday, Machado now has a .309 batting average with 20 RBIs and 19 runs scored in his last 25 games. And the rest of baseball -- as well as the national media -- is starting to talk about him as a budding superstar.

"I see a guy who knows he belongs and is absolutely playing that way," Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin said the other evening on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight."

Aaron Boone, Larkin's colleague and former major league infielder, added of Machado: "He's already one of the top three defensive third basemen in the game."

And when you've got Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, the 16-time Gold Glover, singing your praises, you're definitely doing something right as you begin your first full season in the big leagues.

Pretty heady stuff for a 20-year-old kid, no question. To have the Human Vacuum Cleaner talking you up? Priceless.

What's impressing baseball fans across the country is the same thing that's impressed Orioles fans since Machado was called up: his seemingly boundless talent and his poise.

Listen to Machado talking to reporters after a big game, and you'd think you were listening to a 15-year-veteran with a couple of World Series rings. (He's even got the blase' attitude and just-doing-my-job cliches down pat.)

With the 2015 baseball season just underway, USA Today has released its annual comprehensive list of player salaries. The publication gathers the data from "documents obtained from the MLB Players Association, club officials and filed with Major League Baseball's central office. Deferred payments...

In the six decades since they returned to the American League, 982 players have suited up for the Orioles. Who are the all-time best? Here are The Baltimore Sun's picks — six men at each position, except outfield and starting pitcher (nine apiece). We ranked the top six managers, too, from 1954...